Monday, August 10, 2009

One of the things I hate the most is being helpless over something - I want to change certain things but can’t. Feeling powerless drives me nuts and I don’t deal well with all the anxiety generated by my hands being tied. :S

But as far as my recipes are concerned I can take some action: this kugelhopf looked beautiful, but I did not have all the ingredients around; at least in my kitchen I can do things my way.

Start by making the kugelhopf: lightly whisk egg and milk together in a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine raisins and brandy to soak and set aside.
Combine flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a food processor and process until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add butter and process for 2 minutes, then add egg mixture and process until well combined. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, adding more flour to stop dough from sticking, if necessary – I did the whole process in my Kitchen Aid, using the hook attachment, adding only 1 tablespoon flour.
Transfer to a lightly floured large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and stand in a warm place for 1½ hours or until dough doubles in size. Knead dough again on a lightly floured surface, adding chocolate and drained raisins (I did not add the brandy because the dough was very soft) kneading until combined.

Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF. Lightly butter and flour a 5 cup-capacity, 16cm-diameter kugelhopf mould*, shaking excess flour from mould. Roll dough out into a log shape, long enough to fit mould, then join ends to form a circle. Carefully place log into mould and press dough down. Cover with a tea towel and stand for about 1 hour or until dough has risen to rim of mould. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown, then turn onto a wire rack to cool.

For honeyed apples, combine sugar, honey and water in a saucepan and cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes or until mixture begins to simmer. Reduce heat to low, add apples, cinnamon and 1 ½ tablespoons brandy and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until apples are tender and caramelized. Remove from heat and stir in remaining brandy. Set aside to cool.

To serve, transfer kugelhopf to a serving plate, place honeyed apples around cake and drizzle some syrup over cake - I found the kugelhopf a little dry on its own, but the syrup solved that problem.

* a kugelhopf mould is turban-shaped. If unavailable, use a Bundt cake pan – I used a plain 5-cup capacity ring pan